Multiple indictments for meth labs Friday

A grand jury in Juneau has indicted multiple people in connection to operating methamphetamine labs in Juneau and Hoonah and for obtaining illegal amounts of pseudoephedrine, which is used to make methamphetamine.

Alaska State Troopers said in a dispatch that Juneau residents Jennifer Hartsock, 36, and Benjamin Parson, 35, were indicted Friday. They were each charged with three counts of felony drug misconduct and multiple counts of receiving or purchasing restricted amounts of chemicals.

Troopers said the indictments were a result of a investigation that culminated with the execution of a search warrant on Hartsock and Parson’s residence in Juneau. Law enforcement discovered six “one-pot” methamphetamine labs and associated items while searching their house on Dec. 13, troopers said.

“One-pot” labs refer to the manufacture of methamphetamine inside a plastic bottle, usually two-liter plastic soda bottles. Police warn that the bottles once discarded are highly dangerous since they still contain chemicals that can ignite easily.

Pierce and Chamblin were previously arrested in October on suspicion of making methamphetamine in a commercial warehouse in Hoonah.

After the Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs (SEACAD) task force processed the Hoonah Cold Storage warehouse for evidence, SEACAD learned that Pierce purchased more than double the legally allowable amount of pseudoephedrine in a 30-day period from various pharmacies in Juneau, troopers alleged.

Troopers said that Pierce used Hartsock, Parson, and three other Juneau residents to obtain the pseudoephedrine.

Those three other residents — Lindsey Yandell, 24; Danelle Barlow, 29; and Clarissa Paulo, 46 — were all indicted on felony drug misconduct charges. Yandell was additionally charged with one count of receiving or purchasing restricted amounts of certain chemicals.

Pierce and Chamblin have been in custody at Lemon Creek Correctional Center since their Oct. 10 arrest.

Troopers said felony arrest warrants were issued Friday out of Juneau court in the amount of $25,000 for Parson; $20,000 for Paulo; $15,000 for Yandell; and $10,000 for Barlow.